Help me with the cakes!

Does anyone know why everytime i make cake, it is always crumbly... Like when you're trying to cut the cake, it will easily crumble, it doesn't stick together as usual cake should be...And sometimes the cake doesn't rise...Why is this happening?? And also, what is the difference between cream and double cream??

Re: Help me with the cakes!

Mummza is right about the cream. Double cream is really thick due to higher fat content compared to "normal" whipping cream.

There are different reasons why the cake doesn't stick. It might depend on the flour you use etc. The recipe might indeed be helpful (or does it happen with different recipes?)

Does it happen particularely often with "foreign" recipes? I noticed that sometimes when I follow an e.g. American recipe it does not turn out quite right, as flour, oats, some sugars..... are processed differently. Eggs come in different sized. Cream etc. has different fat contents etc.

With anything you bake it is importatn that you follow the instructions minutely (while cooking is often more forgiving). I am sure you have done that?

How to cook:1. Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy2. Add the eggs one by one3. Fold in the almonds, poppy sedds, lemon zest and juice, and the sifted flour4. Put into a tin and bake in preheated oven (180C) for 40 mins

That's the recipe....Actually that's a "foreign" recipe...But I've done all the instructions...

Oh, I have another questions...

Do you know why when you bake cakes, sometimes the cake will be uneven, especially in the middle it will be lower than the other parts...And also, how to prevent this happening??

Re: Help me with the cakes!

Sometimes it helps to turn the cake a bit half way through, when the oven is baking unevenly, but with most cakes that will be the end of it (as it will fall together when the colder air hits before it's done). (My friend had an oven for a while where the cake rose perfectly on the left side, but hardly at all on the right...)

Then to some extend it's something you'll have to live with. Most household ovens don't bake perfectly even.

But if it really is the middle that's flatter, it is possible that it rose while baking, but then came down afterwards. With some cakes that's normal (e.g. most cheese cakes), but with a sponge cake or "normal" cake that might mean that the cake did not take the transition from the hot oven to the cooler room temperature too well. When you take the cake out, try to keep windows shut so that there is no colder drought. Another possibility might be to let it cool in the oven after it's turned off and the door ajar.

Combine the first 3 ingredients; stir well, then set aside. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10−inchspringform pan with butter. Add crumb mixture; tilt pan to coat sides and bottom. Chill.Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually add the 12/3 cups sugar, beating well at high speed. Add sugar, beating well at high speed. Add eggs, one at atime, beating well after each addition. Stir in salt, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Pour mixture intothe prepared crust. Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 hours and 20 minutes. The center may be soft, but willset when chilled. Cool on a wire rack; cover and chill for 8 hours.

Re: Help me with the cakes!

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